Acer has finally announced global availability of their top range F900 smartphone. We had to wait for quite a long time since the first day of MWC back in the middle of February 2009 when Acer has officially announced their future smartphone range including DX900, X960, M900 and, of course, the F900. At those times we were thinking of its software features (almost all hardware specifications were announced without delay), pricing and competitors. Now we can comment on mostly everything about it.

One of the things I like about F900 is its UI shell over Windows Mobile 6.1 – an Acer 2.0 User Interface lined up for widgets and apps. There are enough of those even from the start: YouTube, weather, Google Maps and Search, Jukebox, etc. Acer was aiming at maximum Internet experience ease so F900 sports JavaScript and Adobe Flash Lite via Internet Explorer Mobile 6. 3.75G HSDPA / HSUPA connectivity is also right there for better browsing.

Hardware specs are good enough, especially knowing that marking specialists were picking it just so to close the gap in the Acer Tempo Smartphone Series:

* Samsung S3C 6410, 533 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM
* GSM / WCDMA / EDGE / HSDPA / HSUPA / GPRS connectivity
* WLAN, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, miniUSB
* 3.2 MP camera with autofocus & flash
* 3.8 inch WVGA touch sensitive display
* Expandable 256 MB memory, microSD slot
* 6 hours talk time, 150 hours standby

Price tag is unexpectedly high by me – 700 USD. At this level F900 has to compete with Nokia N97, N96 and HTC Touch diamond2. It probably will not conquer their fans but entirely may attract attention of anyone who is after a feature phone with rich Internet capabilities. First impressions are that Acer F900 is well made, reliable and beautiful enough.

I congratulate you, all smartphone lovers, with today’s MWC grand opening. Only three days of non-stopping mobile phone premieres from world’s best brands and, of course, ambitious newcomers in the field. Here is an interesting contender. Acer for years was developing computer gear and now they are after cell phone market cut. Four presented devices, DX900, X960, F900 and M900, are touch screens running Windows Mobile 6.1, but basing on specs they will not necesserely be in the same price category. The question now is when and where Acer will put the handsets for sale first – in Asia or in Europe?

Touch screen feature and Windows Mobile 6.1 are not the only things that unite Acer’s smartphones. All of them have a microSD card slots, Bluetooth 2.0, same Samsung 533 MHz strong S3C processors and what’s more important – Internet over WLAN. Networks are also basically the same. GPRS, quad-band GSM / EDGE for all of them and only DX900 lacks EGPRS.

DX900 is the least equipped of four. Sharing the same 2.8″ VGA TFT LCD touch screen display with X900, it hasn’t got its camera. 3.2 MP for X960 and 3MP dead for DX900. But in the meanwhile DX900 is the only one to hit a double SIM card slot.

Just like the first pair, M900 and F900 have the same screen, but in their case it is a whole inch bigger 3.8″ WVGA TFT LCD touch screen. F900 however has a poorer 3 MP camera while M900 is a far ahead with an auto-focusing and flashlighting 5 MP gadget.
Mind you also that Windows Mobile 6.1 Acer installs on its fresh handsets is now waiting for its descendant – WM 6.5. That makes us eager to find out whether they are WM 6.5 capable, or are they priced reasonably if they don’t.